Gibraltar Brush Fire Scorches 10 Acres

It took crews more than two hours to contain the fire and about six and a half hours to fully extinguish all the hot spots. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Photo by Tad Dukehart.

A brush fire fueled by dry and windy conditions burned close to 10 acres of grassland in Gibraltar Saturday before firefighters were able to stanch the flames.

Gibraltar Fire and Rescue was dispatched to the Settlement Inn and Lavender Spa at 9126 Hwy 42 around 2:30 pm on June 24 to respond to reports of an uncontrolled brush fire in an adjacent field that was heading north toward Choke Cherry Lane.

Upon their arrival, firefighters discovered a fire that was approximately one acre in size, with multiple fingers expanding to the surrounding field, according to a press release issued by Gibraltar Police Chief Ryan Roesch. It was burning intensely and spreading rapidly, according to Roesch, and threatening a number of structures. At that time, a Mutual Aid Box Alarm (MABAS) was activated to call for additional resources.

It took crews more than two hours to contain the fire and about six and a half hours to fully extinguish all of the hot spots. In total, close to 10 acres of dry grassland containing pines, junipers and other brush were affected. 

The current dry and windy conditions contributed to the severity of this fire. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Gibraltar Fire and Rescue thanked area responders and others for all of their assistance on this fire call. Those included Baileys Harbor Fire and Rescue; the Ephraim, Egg Harbor, Jacksonport, Sister Bay/Liberty Grove and Sturgeon Bay fire departments; the Door County EMS and sheriff’s office; the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Peil Construction; the MABAS 154 Incident Support Team; the American Red Cross of Wisconsin; and the owners and employees of Settlement Inn and Lavender Spa.